


Kore

by TheWhiteWolf (imnotdoneyetap)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-02-16 04:06:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18683803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotdoneyetap/pseuds/TheWhiteWolf
Summary: Derek Hale had always known that running was the easy way out and that it always caught up to him in the end. He just never expected Josephine to be one the pay the price this time. Maybe, he shouldn't have left NY after all.www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEgX0fK4UYs&t=1s





	1. Prologue

_You would think that time would slow down when Death was breathing down your neck._

_You would think that there was no use running away from it._

_When it's time, it's time._

_Yet, someone always tries to fight against it._

_And Death pauses at the sight of the warrior and offers her a choice._

_*_

        Josephine always thought that when death came to claim her it would be slow. It would be a spreading of darkness that starts from her toes and finally stops at her mind. All of her memories, her emotions, her senses would just dial down... like turning the volume down on the radio. 

        And yet, as many as her expectations in life tend to go, that thought was shattered. 

        Death was fast, but not in the way one would think.

        Death was not like a snap of one's fingers and you're gone. 

        Death was running for your life in the middle of the night with wolves chasing after you. Inching closer with every step you took, your body tearing itself in movement, attempting to remain alive. 

        To top it all of, Josephine was bleeding from her side.

        She can't remember when they managed to nick her but it must have been from the very beginning when she managed to escape and they quickly noticed. 

        Josephine didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to last. Her pace was already slowing down and there was no sign of life anywhere near her. 

        _This was how she was going to die,_ Josephine thought,  _alone._

        Alone was the way she came into the world and she should have known that this was the way she was going to leave it. 

        So many regrets were crashing into her mind as Josephine thought back to her life. Many mistakes she made and many friendships lost because of her spiteful pride and fear of rejection. 

        Josephine really hated herself for hating herself at the moment. 

        She prayed to whatever god was listening at the moment and vowed to be better if given another chance of life. 

        Her prayer is cut short though...

        As the wolves' snapping jaws and growling howls came closer to her. 

        The night seemed clearer as her sprint slowed down to a jog. Her heart was slowing down now, beating loudly in her ears, saying  _this is it, this is as far as we can go._

        Josephine's foot gets caught on a root and her body is flung forward crashing down against a tree stump. 

        The world becomes eerily silent and Josephine can no longer hear her heartbeat in her ears. Instead, she hears the way her blood is slipping out of her hand and dripping onto the rings of the tree stump. 

        Her eyes are attempting to remain open, wanting to see what happens to her next, but they keep forcing themselves closed. 

        The world is still silent. 

        But at least the sun rose again. 

        And so Josephine closed her eyes and felt as darkness spread slowly up her body. 

        Maybe she was wrong again, maybe death came slowly and all at once if she just allowed it.


	2. 1

        Derek Hale stared out of the expanse of his window with a cup of coffee in his hand. The city of Beacon Hills was silent and slow to wake in the early mornings. A vast difference compared to his mornings in New York, the city that never sleeps. There was always something going on in front of his window back in the big city. There was always someone by his side pointing it out. 

        The wolf shook his head from the lingering thought and forced it back to the dark crevices of his mind. After everything that's happened, he was trying to become better... make less mistakes. Yet it was hard to do so as mistakes from his past kept haunting him and pulling him back to harsh cold ways. 

        With all these contemplations, Derek's coffee was growing cold and he didn't have the energy to make himself more. He left the mug forgotten on the edge of his window and sighed. 

        There was no solution to his regrets.

        His family was dead, his pack was gone, and she... well she must have forgotten him by now. There was no use in thinking back to the past. 

        Derek wondered why he was even thinking of her in the first place. It had been so long ago since he seen her last and even before then, they weren't very close. 

        He didn't even want to know the answer to this question and so he left it unanswered. Tiredly rubbing his eyes, Derek was ready to start his day when his hearing caught something. 

        His eyes snap out to the window and catches sight of the sudden halt the blue Jeep made in front of the building. Just as quickly, Stiles comes running out of his car and opens the passenger door. Scott climbs out, but not alone, as he carries an unconscious stranger. 

        Derek's quick to know that something's deeply wrong and so he clears up his table and makes sure to pull out the first-aid kit he had for some reason. 

        It doesn't take long for the loft door to slide open and reveal the two shocked teenagers. The woman in Scott's arms is still unconscious but Derek could still hear her heartbeat slowly beating within her chest. He moves to approach them but stops as the honey brown strands of hair fall to the side and reveals the woman's face.

         _Josephine_...

        Things move fast as Derek makes the connection. He doesn't remember when Stiles and Scott moved past him and laid the woman out on the table. They lifted up her shirt to reveal that the bleeding wound on her side. Derek hesitantly takes a look and catches sight of what he dreaded to see the most. 

        Derek moves to stand next to her and takes notice of the cut on her forehead and the way her face was paler than usual. As he brushed the remaining strands of her hair away, she momentarily woke up with a deep gasp. Derek immediately looks down at her and finds her blue eyes focusing on him.

        "Derek...?" she whispers tiredly. 

        Derek doesn't get the chance to respond as her eyes flutter closed again. He was relieved that they did because he had no answer to give her. He steps back and ignores the questioning stares from Scott and Stiles. 

        She wasn't a part of this.

        She was never meant to be a part of this.

        She was meant to stay in New York and forget about him, but here she was, eyes wild and hair untamed. 

        A wolf bite tainting her skin.

        Derek turned away from her and the silence of the world he had once experienced this morning was quickly shattered as he heard her heartbeat echo through his ears. 

        "Derek?" Scott asks in concern. "Do you know her?" 

        Too many thoughts were crowding in his brain as he realized the severity of his situation. This wasn't a dream. This was all real and Josephine was passed out on his table with a wolf bite on her side. 

        She was innocent. 

        She was human and now... now she's about to become a beast. 

        "Hey sourwolf, talk to us," Stiles snaps. "What's going on? Did you know about this?"

        "Of course not," Derek snaps as he turns to them. "I have no idea why Josephine's here. It's been a year since we last saw each other. Last I heard, she wasn't too happy with me." 

        "Did she know... about us?" Scott asks. 

        "No, she doesn't," Derek sighs out. "At least I didn't tell her..."

        "What do you mean?" Stiles asks him. 

        "She was a friend of my sister, Laura," Derek explains. "But I doubt she told Josephine. It would have put her in danger." 

        "It seems not telling her still got her in some trouble," Scott points out. "She got bit and not by me." 

        "Do you think this might be Deucalion's doing?" Stiles asks. "We did just let him go." 

        "It would be dumb if he did," Derek states. "Especially if he knew I knew her." 

        "We shouldn't make any assumptions right now," Scott states. "Not until she wakes up and explains what happened." 

        Derek remains silent and focuses on her heartbeat once more. Besides the bite and the scratch on her forehead, Josephine seemed unharmed. A little dirty from whatever hell she escaped, but fine. 

        "Where did you find her?" Derek asks them. 

        "On the Nemeton," Scott answers. 

        "The nemeton?" Derek asks confused. "How did she get all the way there?" 

        "That's not the only question we have," Stiles states. "We want to know why she was bleeding on top of it." 

        "Are you accusing her of sacrificing herself for power?" Derek insinuates as he takes a threatening step to Stiles. Scott immediately comes in between them trying to ease the rising tension. 

        "He didn't mean that Derek," Scott assures him. "After everything that's happened, you can't blame him for asking. Especially since we felt it..." 

        Derek steps away from Scott after hearing this, "What do you mean _felt?_ "

        "I mean whatever Deaton did to us had an effect," Scott explains. "The moment I felt the blood sacrifice, Stiles and I went to check it out." 

        "It was like a string had been pulled," Stiles further explains. 

        "Did Allison feel this too?" 

        "Yeah," Scott answers. "She texted me as soon as she was able to. I told her that we were on it." 

        Derek's anger dissipates as he hears this and he turns his focus back on Josephine who is still asleep. He didn't understand anything that was going on. He had so many questions but not enough answers. 

        _Why was Josephine in Beacon Hills?_

_Who gave her the werewolf bite?_

_Is she the same person she was a year ago?_

Derek knew he wouldn't find any answers anytime soon until Josephine woke up. Until then, all he could do was wait. 

*

New York City— _A Year Ago_

        _The bell of the door rings and Josephine struggles to see who may have come in. She was too low on the ladder and the shelves were too high for her to overlook them. Until she finished stacking the last remaining books will she be able to step down and help the customer._

_"I'll be with you in just a second," Josephine calls out._

_She stacks the new YA novels on the shelf and makes her way down the ladder. She rolls it off to the side and dusts her hands off while she makes her way to the front. The customer in question came as a man with a leather jacket who was curiously looking around the decor she picked out in the front. Halloween was around the corner and Josephine couldn't help herself with the decorations._

_"Welcome to Blue Finch Bookstore" Josephine states. "Anything you looking for?"_

_"I'm waiting for someone," he states. "She should be here any minute."_

_"Alright, well go ahead and browse or take a seat somewhere if you'll like," Josephine answered with a small smile. "If you need anything I'll be at the front desk."_

_Josephine makes an effort to point to the small frail desk she claimed her own and offered the stranger a smile. He did nothing but nod and keep the stoic expression as he made his way through the store and out of her sight. Josephine simply let out a sigh and brushed his cold demeanor off. He wasn't the first guy she met like this and he certainly wouldn't be the last._

_Ignoring the man that was walking through the bookstore, Josephine put herself to work and started to clean up the reading nooks in front of the store. She was elbow's deep in picking up children's books and crayons that had been scattered when the doorbell rings again._

_"Welcome to Blue..."_

_"...Finch Bookstore, how can I help you?"_

_Josephine couldn't help but laugh as she turned around and saw Laura standing in front of the entrance. Setting the books aside, Josephine ran up and hugged her._

_"Hey, I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow," Josephine says as she pulls away. "Is everything ok over there?"_

_"Yeah," Laura sighs out. "Not much to do back home and it's better not to stay for too long."_

_"Is your uncle ok, though?"_

_"He's the same which isn't a surprise," Laura tells her. "I'm just glad to be back."_

_"I'm glad you're back," Josephine states. "Bookstore is lonely without you."_

_"It's good to know I'm missed," Laura replies. "Speaking of being missed, where's my brother?"_

_"Brother?"_

_Josephine watches Laura scan the aisles of shelves before the man from before makes his way through. A smile grows on her lips as she sees him, but her brother remains expressionless at the sight of her._

_"Jo, I want you to meet my brother," Laura introduces as she brings Josephine to him._

_"Nice to properly meet you," Josephine tells him as she extends her hand for him to take. "I'm Josephine Taylor."_

_"Derek," he answers as he shakes her hand. "Derek Hale."_

_There was a brief moment of silence as they both stared at each other. He was sizing her up, and because of that, she felt inclined to do the same._

_The moment is broken when Laura's laugh fills the silence bookstore. Josephine and Derek turns to her and finds Laura pointing at the werewolf figurine on the front desk._

_"I'm sorry," Laura mumbles noticing Derek's glare. "Thought this was cute."_

*

Josephine groaned as every bone and muscle in her body tugged and stiffen at her slightest movement. She struggled to open her eyes and the blinding light coming from the window made her close them instantly. She hears a shuffling nearby and Josephine immediately forces herself awake awaiting an attack. 

        Her eyes quickly adjust to the light and Josephine forces her body to stumble out of the table and run. Before she could get to far, arms were wrapped around her and holding her still. 

        "Let me go!" she shouts. "Fuck's sake! Let me go!" 

        Her throat was raw and dry so the words were like crinkled paper that was slowly being unraveled. 

        "You're ok, Josephine," someone whispered in her ear. "You're safe." 

        Josephine continued to fight the hold until she noticed the room she was being held in. Her will to fight slowly disappears as she realized that she wasn't surrounded by strange men who always decided to knock her out than to deal with her conscious self. 

        Noting that she was done, the arms holding her slowly let her go and Josephine stumbles to remain upright. Her eyes take in the empty apartment she was in. She was afraid to turn around to her new captor or perhaps savior. Josephine didn't want to make any assumptions yet because she was still being held against her will in a strange remote location. 

        With a deep breath, Josephine slowly turns around and comes face to face with the last person she had ever expected to see in her life. 

        "Derek?" she asks confused. 

        "Hi Josephine," Derek responds with a soft smile. "I think we should talk." 


	3. 2

        Derek watched at Josephine took a seat on the couch and inspected the discarded books stacked on top of it. She read through the titles and found none of them familiar. Her focus then shifted to the lone stairwell and the bed located near the window. There was nothing much too look at after that and Josephine wasn't surprised. 

        "How did I get here?" Josephine asks as she finally looked at Derek. 

        "Some friends of mine found you in the Preserve," Derek answers. 

        "You have friends?" Josephine asks surprised. 

        Derek restrains a growl and simply takes a deep breath. 

        "A lot has changed this year," Derek explains to her. 

        "I can see that..." Josephine whispers as she glanced around the loft once more. "You found a new home." 

        Derek doesn't know how to respond so he simply allows the silence to grow between them. 

        "Why didn't your  _friends_ take me to the police or the hospital?" Josephine asks next. "Why did they bring me here? How did they know I knew you?" 

        "They didn't," Derek tells her. 

        "Then why..." 

        "It's complicated," Derek interrupts her. "Josephine, I don't think you understand what kind of trouble you got yourself into." 

        " _I got myself into?_ " Josephine exclaims offended as she stood up from her seat. "Derek, you don't know what I've been through these past few days. I was kidnapped! I was drugged! I was brought here against my will!" 

        "What do you mean?" 

        "What do you  _think_ I mean, Derek?" Josephine exclaims. "I was closing the store and out of nowhere these group of men grab me and knock me out! I have been in some cross country road trip for who knows how long!"         

        "Who were they?"

        "I don't know!" Josephine shouts. "I didn't care to ask!" 

        Derek lets out a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. This was growing more complicated than he had expected it to. 

        "So that bite mark on your side, you don't know what did that to you?" 

        Josephine scowls in confusion as her focus shifts downward. She lifted her blood-stained shirt and noticed the large bandaid covering her side. It didn't hurt anymore and Josephine wonders how that was possible due to the large bloodstains she still sported in her clothes. 

        "I...uh... they had dogs, no, wolves," Josephine corrects herself. "Yeah, they seemed to have been trained because they were after me the moment I escaped the van. It all happened so fast... they were all screaming and then there was growling but I was focused on running for my life I didn't notice the bite until later. It was so dark too... so dark..." 

        Derek could see the gears in her shifting as she tried to process what she remembered. He knew she was telling the truth at the moment. She believed that the men and wolves were two different species, but he could tell that she was questioning what she remembered. That she was wondering if man and wolf could be one in the same. 

        This just made things worse in Derek's opinion. 

        Not only did Josephine not know about werewolves, but she had a pack that wanted her for some unknown reason. 

        "I have to call someone," Derek tells her as he pulls out his phone. "Make yourself at... home." 

        Josephine nods at this and takes a seat once more on the couch. She allowed herself to relax for the first time in a while and let out a sigh. 

        "You haven't changed..."

        This caught Derek's attention and he pauses and turns to look at her once more. He finds her picking a book from the stack and looking through it.

        "The books," she clarifies. "You always have books around." 

        Derek noticed the way her gaze softened as she glanced over at him. 

        "I never knew you had so many until I had to pack them all away when I realized you guys weren't coming back." 

*

New York City— _A Year Ago_

        _Josephine was too concentrated on the Excel spreadsheet in front of her. It was confusing having to maneuver the numbers within the boxes knowing that the negative number at the end of the equation had to be wrong. She was too focused on the computer screen in front of her that she failed to hear the bell ringing on the front door. It wasn't until she heard someone clearing her throat right in front of her that she realized her mistake._

_"I'm sorry," she states as she closed the laptop screen and cleared her head of numbers. "How can I help you?"_

_Her eyes look up to find Derek Hale standing right in front of her with a blank stare. She couldn't figure out if he was displeased or neutral from the way his eyes searched deep into hers._

_Josephine hadn't expected to see him here of all places after they first met. He was quiet. Not because of the bookstore ambiance, but because he wanted to be. It's not like he had nothing to say because Josephine could see from the way his eyes burn into hers, that the man had many things he wanted to say but didn't._

_"Derek," she greets simply with a small smile. "If you're looking for Laura, she isn't here."_

_"I didn't come for Laura," Derek answers. "I actually came here to get some books, but I don't know if you have them in stock."_

_"Oh ok," Josephine remarks as she watches him pull out a folded piece of paper and hands it to her. Josephine reads through the list fairly quickly and recognizes some of the titles. "We should have most of these and if not, I can order them but that will take some time."_

_"That's fine," Derek responds as he followed after her through her journey around the store._

_Josephine plucked the books out of the shelves and handed them to Derek to hold. She rarely had to glance at the list to pick out the texts that Derek had required. Josephine had them all memorized with one mere glance._

_"So I'm missing two of the books you're looking for," Josephine tells him. "And another one, I have it but the copy is one of the first prints made so I have it in the front where all the 'special edition' books are. It's a little more expensive but if you want just a regular print then I can also place an order for it."_

_"I'll take the first print," Derek states._

_"Alright..." Josephine whispers knowing the high price item was going to pay this month's rent._

_"How long does it take to get the ordered books delivered?" Derek asks her as she went to the front desk to retrieve the needed key for the locked safe in the back._

_"It depends..." Josephine tries to explain. "The two titles you want should be easy to find and I know someone who might have them so I'll say a week? Maybe I'll have them by next weekend?"_

_"Sounds good," Derek remarks as he watched her unlock the glass case at the front. She pulled out a red leather bound book and gently placed it on the desk. She grabbed some tissue paper from a roll nearby and covered the vintage lore book in order to save it from further damage._

_"I didn't realize you were into this kind of stuff," Josephine comments as she bagged Derek's books into a paper bag. "The whole werewolf fad seems to be growing ever since the Twilight movies came out."_

_Derek rolled his eyes at the mention of the fiction series but knew that Josephine didn't know any better._

_"At least you're into the historical context though," she continued to ramble as Derek remained silent. She started to calculate the total and avoided his stare. "The lore and the myths. That's where the good stories are because there's some resemblance of the truth laced in all the mystery and illusion. That's where you'll get to the root of everything."_

_"And what do you think I'm searching for here?" Derek asks her as he grabbed the bag from her and paid in cash._

_Josephine finally dares to meet his stare and tenses up at the cold judgment he was wearing._

_"I don't know," she stutters out. "But whatever it is, I hope you find it."_

*

        Derek ends the call and lets out a heavy sigh. He didn't know why he decided to call Scott and Stiles, but this whole transparency objective he had going now was more trouble than what it was worth. Now Scott and Stiles wanted to return to the loft to pick up Josephine and take her to Deaton who may or may not know what's going on.

        Derek pocketed his cellphone knowing that he only had about 20 minutes to get Josephine caught up with everything before Scott and Stiles came for her.  

        "You seem stressed," Josephine points out as he came back to the makeshift living room. "Is everything ok?" 

        "Yeah, everything's fine," Derek answers with a small smile. 

        That's when Josephine knew that something was wrong. Derek Hale rarely smiled and this was certainly not a moment that would call for it. 

        "What's wrong?" Josephine asks. 

        Derek lets out a sigh as he took the seat across from her. 

        "There's a lot I need to tell you," Derek warns her. "And I just don't know where to begin." 

        "From the beginning wouldn't hurt," Josephine offers as her focus shifted to her hands. "It's only been a year since we last saw one another. Why don't you tell me why you left without saying goodbye?" 

        "It's complicated," Derek answers. 

        "No, it's not really," Josephine exclaims in annoyance. "I remember how angry you were when Laura left to come to Beacon Hills without telling you. I remember how upset you were when she didn't answer your calls or texts. I remember the state of the loft when I came to see you. I remember all of it." 

        Derek remained silent recalling that dark period. 

        "You ranted to me about the audacity Laura had to leave without telling you," Josephine continued. "But then a few days later, you went ahead and did the same to  _me."_

"It's hard to explain, ok?" Derek offers to her. 

        "It's only hard to explain when you're trying to create time to make up a lie," Josephine states. "So stop lying to me because I know you've been hiding something the moment I woke up in your apartment." 

        "Alright," Derek sighs. "Just..." 

        Derek takes a deep breath and tries to think of what to say. She was right though seeing as he needed to start from the very beginning even though it would destroy her the moment she knew. 

        "Laura's dead."


	4. 3

_Laura's dead..._

_Werewolves are real..._

_The bite... it changes you..._

_Changes **you**... _

Josephine was silent as the two teenagers that were introduced to her as Scott and Stiles drove her to someone who could "help" her. Derek said he'll follow in a separate car so she was left alone with the two boys who were awkwardly trying not to stare as she processed all of the information given to her before they left the loft. 

        In all honesty, it didn't surprise Josephine which just made her strange compared to other people. Normal people would have broken down at the revelation that the world they lived in contained wild wolves that ran in the full moon and other such creatures lurking in the dark. Josephine didn't know why she was taking this as well as she was, but maybe it was because she had this inkling in the back of her mind that always knew this part of the world to be true. 

        The only thing that was hard to grasp was that Laura was dead, _murdered._ It didn't put her at ease when Derek told her he took care of his uncle who had done it. That he had his revenge. That he had gotten justice for the both of them. 

        Josephine didn't like the thought of having blood on her hands and she didn't like the thought that Laura was gone and that she hadn't known that for a whole year. 

        A whole year went by and Josephine had believed Laura alive and happy wherever she had gone after New York. She had always assumed she'll come back to the bookstore with her wide smile and warm hugs to invite her back to the apartment for dinner and some wine. 

         _"Derek will be there..."_ Laura would say as if that was a good reason for Josephine to come.  _"He'll be happy to have you over."_

Josephine refrained from crying in the car knowing that this wasn't the time or place to do so. But there was no other time or place she could find that would allow her to mourn. Derek was not empathetic because if he was, he would have picked up the phone a year ago and told her of the tragic news. He would have told her. He wouldn't have waited a year for her to come find him, unintentionally, to finally tell her. 

        Though Laura was dead and it broke her heart as she continued to think about it, Josephine finally allowed herself to heal from those year-long wounds. The ones that she gained when Laura never came back and Derek had left without a word. The family she only knew had abandoned her and Josephine was alone in the world once more. 

        At least she got the answers she sought for, but it didn't relieve her of the anger and hurt that she still held from Derek's betrayal. 

        The blue Jeep comes to a slow stop at the back entrance of an Animal Clinic and Josephine scowls as she reads the sign outside. 

        "When Derek said you were bringing me to a clinic, I didn't think it would be an  _animal_ clinic," Josephine states as she steps out of the car. 

        "It's uh... hard to explain," Scott offers to her. "But I promise that Deaton is the best person to help you right now." 

        "Why?" Josephine asks as she followed after them. "What does he know?" 

        "I'll like to think he knows everything," Stiles answers. "Because he knows more than all of us." 

        Josephine nods at this and follows after the teenage boys wondering how long Derek will take to get here. She didn't enjoy trusting random strangers,  _teenagers_ , with her safety and care. 

        Scott and Stiles lead Josephine into the medical room where an elder man seems to be waiting for them. He offers her a kind smile and takes in the sight of her. 

        "You must be Josephine," Deaton states as he offers his hand. "I'm Dr. Deaton." 

        "Nice to meet you," Josephine responds as she shakes his hand. "So uh, what are you looking for here?" 

        "I don't know," Deaton tells her as he motioned for her to take a seat on the medical table. "But once I find something I'll let you know." 

        Josephine lifts herself onto the medical table and watches as Deaton places plastic gloves onto his hands. He eyes her stained clothes and Josephine feels embarrassed at the condition she's in. 

        "I should have cleaned up before coming here," Josephine sheepishly mutters. 

        "No, no..." Deaton assures her. "Every little thing helps." 

        Josephine sighed at this and nervously watched as Deaton took in the gash on her forehead. 

        "Does any of this hurt?" Deaton asked her. 

        "I was a bit sore when I first woke up but I haven't felt anything since," Josephine tells him. 

        "Interesting..." Deaton whispered more to himself. His focus shifts away from the scratch and turns to the bite wound to her side. "May I?" 

        Josephine hesitates at the question as three strangers waited on her for her answer. 

        "I'm sorry," she chuckles out. "I just... I know this is going to sound silly but is it ok if we wait for Derek?" 

        "It's fine, Josephine," Deaton responds. "We can wait." 

        Josephine could tell that the vet was being honest but it was obvious from a simple glance at the two teenagers that they were anxious for information. 

        "I'm sorry but I have to ask," Stiles states as he ignored Scott's sigh. "How do you know Derek?" 

        "I was friends with his sister, Laura," Josephine tells him. "We were introduced later on and he was a regular customer at my bookstore." 

        "So just friends?" Stiles clarifies. 

        "I guess that would be the proper term," Josephine hesitates to answer. "We weren't really close." 

        "Did you know anything about their past?" Scott asks her. 

        "I knew they lost their family in a fire," Josephine answers before a sad smile grew on her lips. "I never knew my parents. Got dropped off into the foster care system so I grew up parentless. That's why Laura and I bonded pretty quickly. She used to joke around about us being well on our way to becoming Batman since we were orphans. I always liked to say we were more like Tony Stark... Derek really didn't find the jokes amusing." 

        "Not only are you a Marvel fan, but you're also an orphan... great," Stiles mutters under his breath.

        "I'm sorry?" Josephine asks confused.

        "Ignore him," Scott quickly intercedes. "He's exaggerating the issue." 

        "I don't think he is," Josephine exclaims as she takes in Stiles' scowl. "What does my past have to do with this?" 

        Deaton lets out a sigh knowing Scott and Stiles were too overwhelmed by the situation at hand. 

        "The bite tends to transform you into what you identify the most," Deaton explains. "There was a case recently that caused the transformation to shift someone we knew into a very deadly creature. He was an orphan, no ties to identity due to his lack of parents, which was why he took this form." 

        "So I can turn into this dangerous thing?" Josephine asks concerned. 

        "Or you could just be a werewolf," Scott offers up to her.         

        "Or depending on the bite, it might be nothing," Deaton concludes. "It could have come from a Beta and all of this speculation could be for nothing." 

        "You can tell if it came from an Alpha or Beta?" Stiles asks in interest. 

        "Of course," Deaton responds as if the answer was simple. 

        "Then let's check," Stiles states eager to know the answer.

        "Not without Derek," Josephine exclaims. "I... I want him here." 

        Stiles and Scott shared a look as Josephine defensively straightened up.        

        "What's so important about Derek being here?" Stiles finally asks. "You said you were barely friends." 

        Josephine seemed to remain defensive as she thought of her answer. The reality of her situation suddenly becomes very clear as she came to a conclusion. 

        "He's all I have left," Josephine sighs out as all of the fight she had faded away. "Laura's gone... Derek's all I have left." 

        At this point, Stiles' endless list of questions came to a quick stop. The girl in front of him had nothing for so long and the people she cared about the most had dwindled down to the one person she barely knew. He didn't have the heart to pry any further. 

        It didn't take long for Derek to make an entrance after Josephine's statement. Scott couldn't help but wonder if he had overheard their conversation but brushed it off as Derek looked at them in confusion. 

        "What are you guys waiting for?" 

        "Nothing now," Josephine sighs out as she looked over at Deaton. "I'm ready." 

        Deaton smiles at the young woman and motions for her to lay down. Josephine does so and lifts up the blood-stained shirt to reveal the bite wound on her side. 

        Josephine holds her breath as she feels a cool touch prod against her abdomen. She lets out a shaky breath and closes her eyes as the silence of the room finally gets to her. She's taken by surprise as a warm hand tugs at her left hand and holds it gently. Josephine looks up to find a bored Derek standing next to her, her hand in his, waiting for Deaton's verdict. 

        "Do you see these two gashes?" Deaton prompts to the nearby werewolves. "They start here and shift down. The wolf latched onto her and tore down as Josephine got away." 

        "Ok, what does that mean?" Derek asks. 

        "This wound should look worse," Deaton concludes as he rises up and slips off his gloves. "Much worse, which means... she's healing." 

        "So it did come from an Alpha," Scott concludes. "But she's healing really slow. When I got the bite, it was fully healed a day after. Why is she healing so slow?" 

        "Because she's not turning into a werewolf," Deaton tells them. "She's turning into something else." 

        "A Kanima?" Stiles asks in concern. 

        "No," Derek intercedes. "Jackson's bite healed and he was bleeding black blood. Josephine hasn't shown any of that." 

        Josephine tugs her shirt down and sits up at the table. All eyes turned on her, her silence had made her invisible until now. 

        "So what does this mean for me?" Josephine asks. "What am I turning into?" 

        Deaton lets out a sigh and offers her an empathetic smile. 

        "I don't know."


	5. 4

        The silence was the only thing growing between them and both were too afraid to be the one to break it. To do so would only allow all of their fears and concerns to come to light and they were too tired to deal with those emotions at the moment. 

        Derek opens the loft door and Josephine doesn't hesitate to walk inside. She throws aside the tattered coat she had on and could feel the collected dirt, grime, and dry blood clinging to her skin. Her desperate need to relieve herself of that simple burden became too much at that moment.  

        "I've been kidnapped, chased, and attacked in these clothes for days," Josephine mutters as Derek slides the door closed behind them. "I want them off." 

        Derek's eyes widen at the last statement and Josephine rolls her at him. 

        "You know that's not what I meant," Josephine sighs out. "I need a hot, nice shower." 

        "Bathroom's upstairs," Derek points to the single staircase. 

        "Do you have some spare clothes I can borrow?" Josephine shyly asks. 

        "I uh... I think I might have something from my sister laying around," Derek responds as he looked at the leather chest located in the corner of the room. 

        "No, I couldn't..." Josephine sighs out. "I couldn't wear Laura's clothes... I couldn't..." 

        Derek unconsciously inhales at the sound of his sister's name and the sorrowful look on Josephine's face.

        _He's all I have left. Laura's gone... Derek's all I have left._  

        Derek didn't mean to walk into the animal clinic unannounced earlier that day and he certainly hadn't meant to listen in to what Josephine had to say about him. 

        Derek clears his throat and ignores the thought that had infiltrated his mind. There was no use in clinging to that simple detail that was said uncaringly. Derek pulls out the leather chest and grabs a few left behind items from inside. 

        "This is actually from Cora," Derek offers to her. "My little sister." 

        "Right," Josephine responds with a shake of her head. "Forgot about her." 

        Her hand grazes his as she takes the clothes from him. She ignores the way he tenses at the simple contact and she quickly retracts her hand from his taking the clothes with her.

******

New York City— _A Year Ago_

         _Derek was concerned as he heard the laughter emitting from the living room. No one knew where they lived and the only person who should be home was his sister Laura. Derek unlocks the door and slowly makes his way inside, apprehensively, unsure of what he would find waiting for him._

_The first thing he sees is Laura and Josephine on the couch with a bottle of wine open and glasses half-filled. Laura's eyes light up at the sight of him and she ignores the scowl on his face._

_"Der, you're home," Laura greets as she checks her watch. "Punctual as usual."_

_"What is she doing here?" Derek asks promptly getting to his point._

_Josephine tenses up at the tone and takes that as her cue to leave._

_"Your books came in today," Josephine states as she picked up a brown-paper-covered package from the floor. "I thought I would deliver them in person and save you the trip."_

_Derek's eyes narrow down at the packaging as paranoia seeps into his features._

_"How did you know where I live?"_

_"I brought her, Der," Laura tells him allowing her red-Alpha eyes to show. "She can be trusted."_

_Derek hated when Laura used her superiority over him, but he knew she couldn't be questioned._

_At least not now, anyways..._

_"Thank you," Derek begrudgingly responds as his hand reaches out for the package._

_Her hand grazes his and Derek can't help but tense up at the touch. The package drops to the ground, paper wrapping ripping immediately causing the books to scatter around._

_"Sorry about that," Josephine apologizes as she quickly kneels down to pick up the fallen books. "I let go too soon."_

_Laura looks up at her brother in concern watching as he loses his grasp of control for a flicker of a moment. One second, he was wolfing out and the next, he wasn't._

_Josephine is unaware of it all as she stacks the books on top of one another and sets them on the coffee table. She lets out a chuckle before looking at the Hales._

_"I might be tipsier than I thought I was," Josephine states with a light blush._

_"Then you should stay the night," Laura offers up once again ignoring Derek's pointed glare. "Can't have you walking home too late."_

_"Oh, it's fine," Josephine dismisses with a shake of her head. "I can take care of myself."_

_Laura chuckled at her comment._

_"Believe me, there are things lurking in the dark that no one is ever ready to handle," Laura warns her. "Stay here tonight, for my sanity's sake, ok?"_

_Josephine lets out a sigh knowing that Laura wouldn't drop the subject._

_"Fine," she whispers. "But I'm staying on the couch and I'm gone once the sun's out."_

_"Deal," Laura responds with a grin. She glances over at an unhappy Derek and clears her throat. "Derek and I will go get you some blankets and pillows."_

_"Ok," Josephine agrees as she cleans up the mess they've made in the living room._

_Laura wanted to stop her but she could tell that she was dancing on Derek's last nerve and he was on the verge of exploding. She grabs her brother by the arm and drags him into the hallway, far enough for Josephine to not hear them._

_"Are you crazy?" Derek exclaims. "You just invite a stranger into our home for the night."_

_"She's not a stranger," Laura corrects him. "She's a friend."_

_"I can't believe you," Derek continues. "We've been doing fine. Just the two of us. Why did you have to bring her along? She's going to ruin us. I can feel it."_

_"You need to stop being afraid, Derek," Laura exclaims at her brother. "Josephine, she's alone... just like us. She grew up in foster care her whole life. She was a baby up for adoption and no one took her in. That never happens, Der. So she grew up in the system and didn't get lucky until she met her foster parents and now they're dead too. All she has is that bookstore. She has no one."_

_Derek remains silent at this trying to figure out what her sister's point was meant to be._

_"She has no one Der, but now... now, she has me."_

******

        Josephine descends down the stairs drying out her hair with the towel in her hand. Derek briefly looks up to her before returning his focus on making the couch in his living room. Josephine stops at the corner of the make-shift living room unsure of how to start the conversation. 

        "I uh, I know I've been harsh to you since I've been here and I'm sorry," Josephine tells him. He doesn't look up to her and Josephine decides to continue whether he was listening to her or not. "I shouldn't have been so angry with you when all you were doing was helping me. So uh... Thank you, Derek." 

        Derek glances up at her once he was done setting the last pillow onto the couch. 

        "You can take my bed," Derek tells her as he motioned to the queen-sized bed in the corner of the room. "I'll take the couch."

        Derek tries to walk past her but Josephine grabs onto his arm. 

        "I meant it, Derek," Josephine tells him. "Thank you." 

        Derek clears his throat unsure of what she wanted from him. 

        "You're not used to gratitude, are you?" Josephine asks with a slight tilt of her lips.

        Derek restrained a growl of annoyance seeing that she was enjoying this from him. 

        "Go sleep, Josephine," Derek tells her. "You've had a long day." 

        "I've slept enough," Josephine reminds him. "And I have a feeling there's still a lot for me to catch up on." 

        "I've told you everything." 

        "Well I still have some questions," Josephine states as she stepped past him and took a seat on the couch. "And I know you have the answers so fill me in." 

        Derek lets out a sigh and knew she wouldn't leave him alone until he gave in to her.

        "What do you want to know?" Derek asks as he took the seat next to her. 

        Josephine's playful attitude disappears as she becomes serious. 

        "Where is she buried?" 

        Derek inhales deeply at the question not expecting it. 

        "I buried her in the family graveyard," Derek tells her. "I can take you sometime." 

        "Yeah... that'll be great." 

        A silence slips between them causing Josephine to clear her throat to regain herself. 

        "So, what happens now?" she asks earning a questioning glance from Derek. "To me getting the bite?" 

        "We have to wait until the full moon," Derek explains to her. "When the moon's at its peak, you'll transform and we'll figure out what you are." 

        "And what could I possibly turn into?" 

        "I don't know," Derek sighs out. "There's a lot of possible were-things you can turn into. Or maybe, you'll be something new altogether." 

        "And if I turn into something harmless, can I go back home?" Josephine asks him. 

        "No, you can't." 

        "Why not?" 

        "Because we still haven't figure out who brought you here in the first place," Derek reminds her. 

        Josephine runs a hand through her drying hair and lets out a sigh. 

        "But the bookstore..." 

        "The bookstore doesn't matter when your life is in danger." 

        Josephine rolls her eyes at this. 

        "The bookstore is all I have to my name, Derek," Josephine reminds him. "It's my source of income! When all of this over, I will have nothing to go back to!" 

        "Then don't go back..." 

        "You can't possibly get it!" Josephine exclaims as she rose from the couch. "You've got your family inheritance, but all I have is that store! The store that the closest thing to a parent gave to me! You can't expect me to throw that away because I what... stay here instead? With finger-crossed strangers that are hoping I won't turn into a monster? With you, my best friend's brother, who hates my guts? I'll rather go back home, alone, where nothing ever happened to me because I stopped myself from caring about anyone but myself!" 

        "Josephine, you don't mean that..." 

        "I do, Derek!" she shouts. "I have lost everyone I cared about! My foster parents, Laura... and now I'm losing myself to this bite and all I have left is you and you don't care!" 

        "Jo..." 

        "I'm alone in this with you!" Josephine exclaims as tears started to spill from her eyes. "And I just need you to help me!" 

        Derek doesn't know why he did what he did, but all he knew was that he was now standing in front of a crying Josephine and pulling her into his arms. She clung onto him and sobbed into his chest as all of her emotions finally came crashing down at her at once. 

         _Laura's death. The kidnapping. Her incoming transformation... and Derek's warmth._


	6. 5

        Josephine had never thought she'll be tired enough to actually fall into a deep sleep and yet here she was slowly waking up to the morning sunrise that filtered through Derek's large window. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and winced as she stretched her arms above her. 

        The bite wound on her side had yet to fully heal but at least she was no longer sore. Josephine pulled herself out of bed and tried to recall how she managed to get into in the first place. The reminder of crying herself out in Derek's arm returned full force into her mind and she let out a groan not knowing how she would face him this morning. 

        "Still hurting?" 

        Josephine jumps at the sudden question and turns around to find Derek setting a paper bag and two coffees onto the table.

        "I'm fine," Josephine whispers. "Nothing I can't manage."

        Derek nods at this and continues to set up breakfast as he pulled out the to-go containers from the bag. Josephine hadn't realized how hungry she was until the smell of bacon filtered through the air. 

        "Dig in," Derek motions to her, but as much as Josephine wanted to indulge, she couldn't. 

        "I uh..." she nervously fidgets as she approaches the table. "I'm sorry about my behavior last night. I don't know what got into me and I said some things I shouldn't have."

        "Don't worry about it," Derek answers as he clears his throat. "I chalked it up to the full moon." 

        "Full moon?" Josephine asks confused as she pulled the chair out across from him and took a seat. 

        "Yeah, it's coming in a few days," Derek tells her. "It's probably what has everyone on edge." 

        "Even you?"

        Derek chuckles at this, "Yeah, even me." 

        Josephine nods at this and plays with the food on her plate as a thought invaded her mind.

        "That means we'll soon figure out what I am, right?" Josephine asks him. 

        "Yeah, exactly," Derek answers. 

        "So how is that going to play out?" Josephine asks him. 

        Derek swallows the last bite on his plate and contemplates revealing the whole truth to her or just playing the question off. 

        "Seeing the scowl on your face, I'm guessing it won't be fun for me." 

        "It's a plan in progress," Derek decides to tell her. "I have a warehouse that's away enough from the city and people. You'll be chained down and Stiles will place mountain ash, a supernatural boundary, around you so if you do escape the chains, you won't be able to leave. Scott, Isaac, and I will be there to keep an eye on you in case things get... messy." 

        "And by messy, you mean violent," Josephine concludes. 

        "Yeah..." 

        "Isn't it a bit careless to only have werewolves looking after me?" Josephine asks him. "Won't you be affected by the full moon?" 

        "We all have control during the full moon," Derek tells her. "We are still affected, but we won't be wolfing out or anything. We'll just be on edge."

        "Ok... does that mean I'll have to gain control too whenever the full moon's out?" 

        "Most likely, yeah." 

        "Great..." Josephine sighs out. "Not only is there a pack of wolves after me, but I have to go through full moon control therapy... the list keeps growing... feels like I'm never going back home." 

        Derek's hand reaches out and grasps hers, "I promise you that'll you be back in New York before you know it. Even if we have to drag this mess over there." 

        "I can't let you do that," Josephine sighs out. "Your home is here."

        "And your home is in New York," Derek flips the argument. "You never deserved this on you, Josephine." 

        "I didn't deserve a lot of things in my life, but shit still happens," Josephine sighs out. "I've grown used to it by now." 

*

New York City— _A Year Ago_

        _Derek laid on his back listening to the clock on his nightstand. Laura had told him he would regret the purchase as the ticking of the hands would surely keep him up. Derek hadn't listened to her and decided to buy the small clock to defy her. He hadn't regretted the purchase until now as it kept him from sleep. Though he was certain it had nothing to do with the clock, but more with the stranger sleeping on the couch._

_"Can't do this anymore," Derek growls out as he slipped out of bed._

_He made his way towards the living room and stopped at the sight of Josephine asleep on the couch. She laid on her back, chest rising slightly with every deep breath she took._

_Derek crept closer and took a seat on the opposing couch seat. He knew he shouldn't be watching her sleep but something within his mind told him that she was up to something. Laura was right about him being paranoid, but he couldn't help it. His trust had gotten his family killed and he wasn't going to risk that again._

_Josephine turns in her sleep, her back facing him, and her neck was splayed open._

_Derek fidgets at the sight of it knowing that with the simple puncture of his claws into her skin he'll be able to access some of her memories. It could paralyze or worse yet, kill her, but the temptation was strong._

_He easily flicks his claws out but Derek doesn't move from his spot. The severity of the situation dawns on him as he realized what he was about to do. His claws are retracted and Derek lets out a sigh._

_"Glad you made the right choice," Laura whispers from the corner of the hallway. Derek's head snaps up to her and Laura offers him a small smile. "Got concerned for a second there."_

_"I wasn't going to do anything..." Derek tells her as he stood up from his seat and followed after her._

_"But you were tempted to," Laura reminds him as she stepped into the kitchen and took a seat on the counter._

_Derek had no response for that and Laura simply nods._

_"I know you're questioning my decision in bringing Josephine here, but I need you to know I didn't do it carelessly," Laura tells him. "I took my precautions, made sure her story checked out, and it did. All of it."_

_"I just don't understand why you had to befriend her," Derek states. "I get you pitied her, but that doesn't mean she gets to be a part of our lives from now on."_

_"I didn't pity her, Derek," Laura tells him. "I saw myself in her."_

_"What?"_

_"I wish you could have been there the first time I met her," Laura explains to him. "She was heavy with burden. She didn't smile. She didn't even greet people when they came into the store."_

_"You've never been like that," Derek points out._

_"Because I never let you see me like that," Laura tells him with a shake of her head. "Do you think this is the way I wanted to become an Alpha? I knew it was coming, but I never thought I'll get it by our mother dying."_

_"Laura..."_

_"I had to be strong, Derek," Laura continues. "For you. For me. For our family. But deep inside, I have been struggling and I'm always afraid we'll be found and the job to end the Hales that started 5 years ago will be finished with our deaths. So the moment I met Josephine, I couldn't help but let my guard down. I saw myself in her and for once I relied on someone that wasn't you to help me with this burden."_

_"But she's not like you, Laura."_

_"No, she's not," Laura responds with a shake of her head. "She's actually stronger than me."_

*

        For the first time since Derek had moved into the Loft, someone knocked on the door instead of just barging in. Derek yells it's unlocked and slowly, the door slides open. Josephine watches as a dark-haired teenage girl makes her way inside the loft. Josephine offers her a smile in which she returns. 

        "What are you doing here?" Derek asks with a scowl on his face.

        "Scott said you might need this," Allison answers as she offers up a bound book. "It's the bestiary." 

        Derek's scowl softens as he takes the book from her. 

        "Where's your usual partner-in-crime?" 

        "You mean Isaac?" Allison offers up in surprise from the directed question. "He's with Scott checking out the Preserve for any hints of the other pack." 

        "I meant Lydia," Derek tells her with a hint of amusement. "Your best friend?"

        Allison blushes slightly at her mistake and lets out a laugh. 

        "Right, uhh... Lydia's helping out her mom with some open house," she tells him.

        Derek nods at this and glances over at Josephine who finds the whole interaction interesting. There was a slight stiffness between the two and the docile pleasantries were just for show. 

        "I'm Josephine by the way," Josephine steps in offering the young girl a smile. "And you must be..."

        "Allison Argent," she introduces herself. 

        "Ah, the huntress," Josephine recalls from Derek's prior explanation. 

        "Yup, and you're the wolf girl," Allison quips back. "The one we're all worried about at the moment."

        Derek immediately clears his throat sensing the tension rising in the room. He knew the relationship he had with the younger Argent was rocky, but she shouldn't be treating an innocent stranger in the same way. 

        "Thanks for the book," Derek states. "I'll make sure to return it once we're done." 

        Allison knows that's her cue and she eagerly takes her leave. Derek shakes his head at the departure and turns to Josephine with the book in hand. 

        "Is she always like that?" Josephine asks him. 

        "Just to me," Derek answers. 

        "And apparently me too," Josephine sighs out. "Did I say something to offend her?" 

        "I never know with her," Derek tells her with a shrug. Allison's behavior wasn't his priority at the moment so he shifted his focus back to the bestiary in hand. 

        "Do you know what a bestiary is?" 

        "It's a literary collection of mythical creatures," Josephine answers as she glanced down at the small book in Derek's hands. "The bookstore had a few to sell." 

        "Really?" 

        "Yeah, but those were fictional," Josephine explains to him. "Like from the Harry Potter universe..." 

        Derek shakes his head at the detail and simply offers up the book for Josephine to see. 

        "Well this is the real deal," Derek tells her. "The Argents have been documenting everything they've come across so let's see if we can figure out what's going on with you." 

        Josephine eyes the book in his hands with anticipation. 

        "I'm ready if you are."


	7. 6

        Derek refused to let Josephine hold the book as he saw the first few images and notes that appeared right from the start. Josephine sighed in annoyance but Derek didn't care much for her sour attitude. He was saving her from over-worrying about potential transformations she could be taking after. 

        He was silent as he read through the descriptions quickly shaking his head an dismissing the idea before moving onto the next page of creatures. Josephine could only watch in silence hoping that Derek will speak up instead of remain silent as he read through the book. 

        "Ok say something," Josephine exclaims. "You're halfway through this book and you haven't said anything." 

        "I'm still reading, Josephine," Derek responds. 

        "I see that but give me something," Josephine sighs out. 

        Derek takes a deep breath and looks up from the book. 

        "There are some potential transformations you can take up after," Derek states. "Any of the shifters or maybe you're something more archaic like a nymph..." 

        "Really, a nymph?" 

        "I don't really know, Josephine," Derek sighs out. "It's hard to figure out a category without knowing your ancestry. The bite could trigger something from your bloodline that's been dormant. It's hard to say..." 

        "So we've stomped once again," Josephine mutters. 

        "Yeah, I'm sorry," Derek tells her. 

        "It's fine," Josephine whispers as she shifts herself away from Derek. "Just makes the full moon rising more exciting."

        Derek watched the way her hand fiddled with the tears in her jeans. She was nervous and understandably seeing as she had gone through so much in the past few days without ever catching a break. 

        "Have we gotten any closer into finding the other pack?" Josephine asks him. 

        "No," Derek answers. "They seemed to have covered their tracks really well. Scott wasn't able to find anything." 

        Josephine rubs her face tiredly and lets out a sigh. She steps out of the couch and fidgets visibly.

        "Can we uh... Can we just go take a walk?" Josephine asks him. "I just need some air and being cooped up here doesn't really help and I know that it's dangerous out there for me but I just need to breathe..." 

        "Yeah," Derek answers as he grabbed his jacket knowing this was the least he could do. "I know just the place. It's a short drive from here but you have to stay close to me." 

        "I promise I won't run away," Josephine tells him. "I just need to get out of this concrete box." 

*****

New York City— _A Year Ago_

        _"Do you... Do you want a cup of coffee?" Josephine asks as she stood in front of his table. Derek glanced up at her and saw the nervous smile on her lips. "I made a fresh pot and you've been staying here hours on end so I just assumed you'll like a cup of joe. I also have some muffins if you prefer that too. I just.."_

_"You just what?" Derek asks confused._

_"I don't know," Josephine answers as she took the seat across from him. "You've been spending a lot of time here and I get the whole **dark mysterious** vibe you got going for you with the brooding and the scowls, but I just want you to be comfortable, I guess?"_

_"You seem to end a lot of answers with uncertainty," Derek points out._

_"I do, don't I?" she answers with a chuckle as she looked down at her hands. "You make me nervous because your Laura's brother and you really don't like me, do you?"_

_"I never said..."_

_"You don't have to," Josephine interrupts him. "You make it obvious with the way you watch me. It's almost predator-like. As if you're waiting for me to drop my guard to attack."_

_Derek doesn't know how to respond and she didn't expect him to. Instead, she offered him a small smile and acted as if their past conversation had never happened._

_"So coffee? Muffin?" she asked him. "I made blubbery and banana nut..."_

_Derek rolls his eyes at the way she sung him the last few words and she just chuckles at him._

_"I'll take a cup of coffee," Derek tells her._

_"No muffin?"_

_Derek refrains from answering as he returns his focus on the book he picked up when he entered the store. Josephine lets out a sigh and stands up from her seat making her way back to the front desk. Derek watches her walk away and notices the way she smiled at a nearby elderly couple seated not too far from him. They thanked her for the baked treats and Josephine blushes slightly at their compliments._

_He still didn't understand what it was about her that made Laura befriend her and it just made him grow more suspicious of her intentions._

******

        Derek parked his car at the edge of the preserve and watched the way relief flooded over Josephine once she stepped out of the car. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. The breeze blew an array of orange and yellow leaves around them and a genuine smile appeared on her lips. 

        "There's a path we can take," Derek tells her. "It'll take us out to Lookout Point." 

        "Lead the way," Josephine tells him. 

        Derek starts to walk and Josephine remained right by his side. 

        "I never thought I would find myself here," Josephine finds herself telling him. "The way you guys talked about Beacon Hills... It didn't sound like a place I would want to spend my holiday in."

        "Every time I came home to visit, I was always ready to leave," Derek responds.

        "I now understand why," Josephine states. "But besides the kidnapping, the bite, and well the murders... it's actually quite nice out here. You don't really see trees like this in the city or get fresh air or..." 

        "Silence?" Derek offers up. 

        "Yeah," Josephine agrees. "It's quiet and calm out here. It almost makes me forget I was running for my life through this same forest a few days ago."

        Derek stops as they reach the lookout point and Josephine lets out a sigh as she takes in the sight of the city before them. She takes a seat on the edge unafraid of the ragged drop if she were to fall. 

        "Did you know I was thinking about you and Laura when I was running away for my life?" Josephine asks him catching Derek off-guard. "I didn't know I was in Beacon, I was just running and hoping I wouldn't die. I only had one regret and it was you guys." 

        "Why?" Derek asks as he took a seat next to her. 

        "Because I was angry," Josephine explains to him. "I've been angry at you two this whole year and when I felt myself bleeding to death all I felt was regret. Regret about not reaching out because I could have done it too and I didn't. I was so angry that you guys left and didn't bother to say goodbye that I just decided to cut ties and leave you guys behind too. Save me from the pain because I was used to it, you know? With my history and all..." 

"Yeah, I get it," Derek states. "The upcoming Tony Stark's club?" 

Josephine couldn't help but chuckle at this, "I can't believe you remember that."

        "It's kinda morbid, don't you think?" Derek asks her. 

        "Yeah," Josephine sighs out. "But we're all kinda fucked up and who can blame us with what we've been through _and_ going through. It's a miracle that we're even sane right now." 

        "What did you go through?" Derek asks her. 

        "Laura didn't tell you?" Josephine answers in surprise. 

        "No, she didn't." 

        "I thought she would have," Josephine whispers. "Laura wasn't that great at keeping secrets." 

        Derek gave her a look causing Josephine to laugh. 

        "Ok, well the whole werewolf thing she managed to keep to herself," Josephine argues, "But I could have sworn she would have told you about me. It's not like I was hiding this part of myself." 

        "She told me you were in foster care since you were a baby, but that was it." 

        "Yeah, but it's more than that, Derek," Josephine begins to explain to him. "You started to talk about how this bite could be activating something in my bloodline and it had me thinking about my personal history. I was the perfect child. I had good behavior and was attentive in school and acted politely to every prominent couple that I interviewed with. I was almost adopted five times but something always went wrong."

        "How so?" Derek asked. 

        "At first it was paperwork mishaps and then I was just being transferred to different counties right after interviews," Josephine tells him with a shake of her head. "And then it was miracle pregnancies in where the couples no longer needed to adopt and then time flew by and I was a teenager and no one really wants to adopt teenagers. I grew up in the system and it wasn't until I was seventeen when I met my parents. They were fostering me until I turned eighteen and I just stayed with them because I loved them and luckily enough they loved me." 

        "Why did you tell me all of this?" Derek asks feeling as if he missed the moral of her story. 

        "Because that's not normal and now that I know about all of this, werewolves and mythical beasts, I can't help but think that someone was messing with my life," Josephine admits to Derek. "As if it was some sort of act from God that I was being tugged one way or another as if I was never meant to stay in a place for too long."

        Derek watched the way the wrinkles of her scowl deepened. 

        "Derek, I think I was meant to be brought here," Josephine tells him. "I can't think of another reason as to why I would end up here of all places. It can't be a coincidence that I was brought into this town the time that I did and that my kidnappers haven't come searching for me." 

        "Deaton said that the supernatural would be drawn here now that the Nemeton regained its power," Derek states in concern. "It was planned. It was  _all_ planned." 

        "What do you mean?" Josephine asks confused. 

        "The location, the bite, everything..." Derek explains. "You were meant to be here for it." 

        "For what?"

        "Your transformation," Derek states. "They're waiting to see what you become." 


	8. 7

        Josephine watched as Derek pushed the couch out of the way. He started to pull out his tools from some chest he had stored somewhere and started to inspect the free area around him. Josephine felt sorry as she watched Derek work in making his loft full-moon proof for her. Ever since he found out that the wolf pack was most likely waiting for the full moon to take her back, Derek had decided to keep her in the loft when the full moon hit its peak. 

        This lead for Derek to make some modifications to his loft in silence while Josephine was quickly losing the last bit of her patience as the full moon was approaching in just a few hours. 

        "So you haven't really told me what's the play here," Josephine states. "And I know you're busy being the local werewolf handyman but I'm just losing my mind right now." 

        "The plan's the same," Derek tells her. "Except everyone's going to be here."

        "Everyone?" Josephine asks confused. 

        "The whole pack," Derek answers. "Or well... the useful ones in case someone comes looking for you." 

        "Well uh... you sure seem to know how to flatter a girl," Josephine jokes as she continued her pacing. "So what happens if the other pack gets to me?" 

        "They won't," Derek answers her. 

        "But what if they do?" Josephine asks again. "What if they're just, I don't know, super werewolves and I get taken away? What do I do then?" 

        Derek lets out a sigh and steps himself into her path disrupting her pacing. 

        "No one's going to get to you," Derek assures her. "They'll have to climb over my dead body in order to do so." 

        "I'm sure that line works with any girl, but not with me," Josephine sighs out. "I don't want anyone dying and I especially don't want it to be you." 

        "Didn't realize you cared what happened to me," Derek responds with a scowl. 

        "I've always cared about you even when you hated me," Josephine answers. "Even when I hated you, I cared." 

        "Why?" Derek asks confused. 

        "Because of the day Laura left without a word," Josephine answers with a shrug. "The day that you put aside whatever spite you had for me and let me see you for who you really are. You were nice to me. You were kind and trusting and genuine. Ever since then, I saw you for who you really were and I just... I've always cared about you, Derek, but that day gave me a real reason to." 

        Derek watched the way her cheeks were tinted lightly in pink and could hear how her heart picked up slightly at his continued stare. Derek didn't get a chance to respond as the doors to the loft opened to reveal Isaac and Scott hauling a bag of duffel bags each. 

        Josephine and Derek both step away from each other at the sight of them and the two teenaged werewolves eyed them in curiosity. 

        "Did we interrupt something?" Isaac asks in amusement. 

        Derek ignores the shit-eating grin he had on his face as his focus shifted to the bags he carried. 

        "Are those it?" Derek asks as the boys came in and dropped the bags in front of Derek. 

        "Should be more than enough to keep Josephine contained," Scott answers as he opened up the two bags to reveal the thick metal chains. 

        "These look like fun," Josephine jokes as she takes in the sight of the chains. "You sure no one wants to join me in these? We'll match." 

        Isaac chuckles at this, "I like her." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at this and gave a quick introduction between Isaac and Josephine before hauling Scott and Isaac into helping him with the setup. Josephine let out a sigh as they all started to work in securing the chains and hooks on the cement floor leaving her to return to her restless pacing. 

*****

New York City— _A Year Ago_

_Derek was placing his leather jacket on as he picked up his keys from the coffee table. He was ready to head out for the day when Laura stopped him before he could leave the front door._

_"The bookstore's closed today," Laura states from the kitchen as she nursed a cup of coffee._

_Derek turns to look at her confused._

_"Thought I didn't know that you were spending all your time there?" Laura asks with a quirk of her lips. "Josie told me you were keeping an eye on her. You take paranoia to a whole new level, brother."_

_"I'm just keeping us safe," Derek remarks with a scowl._

_"Well, that's my job Der," Laura answers as she sets her cup down. "I'm the Alpha, not you."_

_"As you remind me all the time," Derek states in annoyance. "But do you know what made mom a great Alpha? When she consulted with the pack about future decisions! That's what made her the best."_

_"I don't need to consult you when I made a friend, Derek," Laura exclaims._

_"But you do have to talk to me before you decide to bring a stranger home!"_

_"I thought we were over this already," Laura sighs out. "Josephine can be trusted."_

_"Not to me," Derek argues with her._

_Laura just sighs and debates whether she should tell him the reason the bookstore was closed that day. Seeing the way that anger was reflected in his eyes, Laura decides that maybe he should know._

_"You'll find Josephine at the cemetery today," Laura tells him. "She visits them every month on this day."_

_"What?"_

_"Her parents," Laura explains to him. "Her fosterparents. They died a few years ago so she goes to visit them every month on this exact day."_

_"What happened to them?"_

_"They died of old age," Laura tells him. "They were an elderly couple who took in Josephine when she was 17. They didn't come around to adopting her because she turned 18 in their care but they practically acted as if she was their own. They loved her."_

_Derek takes a seat on the couch and Laura makes her way towards him._

_"Why are you telling me all of this?" Derek asks her._

_"I just want you to take it easier on her," Laura tells him. "She's been through hell, Derek. I don't need you hounding on her too."_

*****

        Josephine took in every new face that paced through the loft. Scott and Isaac had spent their whole day at the loft helping Derek prepare for the full moon. Stiles had come a few hours before and had kept Josephine company while all the werewolves were doing all the hard work. It didn't take much longer for more people to arrive as Allison and her father, Chris Argent, stepped into the loft armed to the maximum. 

        "Security alarm set?" Chris asks Derek. 

        "Yes," Derek answers. "And Stiles has volunteered to stay on guard to make sure the electricity doesn't get cut off like last time." 

        "And how is she doing?" Chris asks as he looked at the young woman seated at the staircase. 

        "Josephine's fine," Derek answers. "Normal, even..." 

        "She isn't acting emotional? Angry? Out of control?" Chris asks in interest. "The full moon rises in less than an hour." 

        "It's been a hard few days for her," Derek explains. "The way she's acted before tonight has been reasonable for what she's going through. The full moon itself seems to have her on edge but that's because she's afraid of what it'll reveal." 

        Chris nods at this and makes his way towards Allison who's playing with her daggers. Josephine excuses herself from Stiles' rambling about full moon lore and werewolves origin stories. Though it was insightful, it did nothing to settle the growing anxiety she was feeling at the pit of her stomach. 

        "So that's the big bad hunter, huh?" Josephine asks as she makes her way to Derek's side. "Seems scary." 

        "He's not," Derek answers. 

        "Oh, is he a big softy then?" Josephine asks with a joke. "Do you guys cuddle in the long cold nights?"

        Derek growls at this causing Josephine to giggle. 

        "He tried to kill me and I basically killed his wife," Derek states. "We hold each other in distant regard." 

        Josephine decides to drop the issue sensing the tension of past matters. She takes a deep breath as she took in the sight of the attached chains that connected to the floor and wall. 

        "You never did answer my question," Josephine states. 

        "What question?" 

        "The one about what happens if the other pack manages to get to me?" Josephine asks him. "What happens if they decide to fall into the element of the full moon? Stiles told me you would be at a disadvantage since you're remaining in control. What if they...?" 

        "No one is going to get to you tonight." 

        "But what if by some twisted hand of fate they manage to get to me?" Josephine asks him. "What if this is like those other times I told you about it? The ones were something goes wrong and I'm being pulled away again." 

        "Then you run," Derek answers simply. "You fight and you run." 

        "I don't like the thought of just leaving you here," Josephine tells him. "There has to be something I can do." 

        "All I need you to do is take care of yourself," Derek assures her. "I promise you we will all turn out fine. You just need to make it out of this without having them ever get to you." 

        Josephine nods at this and offers him a nervous smile. 

        "Thank you again," Josephine tells him. "For everything. I wouldn't really know what I would do without you."

        There was a warmth that came with those words and Derek wondered where it came from. It seemed to grow the moment Josephine leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his cheek that leaves Derek wondering if it actually even happened. He presses the tip of his fingers trying to pinpoint the exact spot of the kiss. Derek then turns and watches as Josephine made her way towards the chains. She turns to everyone around her with a determined smile on her lips. 

        "I'm ready," she states as she raised her wrists. "Accessorize me."


	9. 9

        Josephine let out a yawn as she stretched her arms over her head. The [chains latched onto her wrist](http://e-ripley.tumblr.com/post/162008440366) rattled with every movement she made before Josephine finally settled them down. At this time, everyone had turned to look at her and they all let out a sigh as they noticed that she was still herself. Josephine rolled her eyes and stood up from her seat on the ground. 

        "How much longer until the full moon hits its apex?" she asks. 

        Derek pushes off from the couch and checks his watch. 

        "Should be any minute now," Derek answers. "Are you feeling anything?" 

        Josephine shakes her head. 

        "No," she answers. "I just feel tired." 

        Derek nods and offers her a reassuring smile. 

        "It'll all be over soon," Derek tells her. 

        Josephine doesn't feel assured by this but nods. She glances over everyone else and watches as Scott and Isaac remained together while the Argents surveilled the loft. 

        "I'm gonna head downstairs and check on Stiles," Chris states. "He's vulnerable down there on his own." 

        Derek nods at this and lets him go. Isaac kept his eye on his watch and counted down the seconds before the full moon was calculated to hit its apex. 

        "It's up," Isaac tells them as he felt the need for control over his being. "The full moon." 

        Everyone's focus turned to Josephine who just offered them a shrug. 

        "I still don't feel anyth-" 

        At that exact moment, Josephine's face shifts from relaxed to pained before she lets out a screeching scream. She drops to her knees and Derek runs forward to catch her but Scott pulls him back before he hit the border of mountain ash. Josephine remains hobbled on the floor breathing heavily before it stops. 

        "Josephine?" Derek asks as he steps away from Scott's hold. 

        There's a groan in response before Josephine starts to move on her own again. Her shoulders roll back as she sits up and she lets out a small moan of pleasure. Her back cracks as she starts to get up, neck rolling to undo those knots. She looked normal but something about her movements made Derek think otherwise. 

        Derek moves to stand across from her as she continued to stretch the limbs of her body. Her eyes finally flutter open and Derek can't help but take a step back. The blue that Derek had grown so used to seeing was no longer there. Instead, rings of purple stared back at him. 

        "Jo?" 

        She takes a step forward but is stopped by the rattling of chains. Her focus then shifts onto the shackles on her wrists which causes her to scowl in disgust. Her hands wrap around the metal links and with just a strong pull at both, she's set free. Her hand tugs the metal cuffs away before looking up at a startled Derek. 

        "Who's Jo?" 

        Scott pulls Derek back as Josephine, or whoever she was, made her way to the edge of the mountain ash ring they had set around her. She bumps into the force field and the smile that grew on her lips in response sent a chill deep into Derek's soul. 

        "She can't get through it," Scott reminds them. "She can't." 

        The smile grows wider as if she accepted the challenge he made. She crouched down to the floor at the edge of the mountain ash and with a wink, she blew upon it. The mountain ash flies everywhere as if it were mere dust. 

        "Now that's better," she states as she stands up and takes a step forward. 

        It doesn't take long for all hell to break loose as Allison lets an arrow swing by. 

        "No!" Derek shouts. 

        The arrow never reaches its target as Josephine catches the thing mid-air. She breaks the arrow in half and lets it drop to the ground before sending her hand in Allison's direction. By a gush of wind, the young huntress is thrown back into one of the pillars. She's immediately knocked out and because of this, Isaac throws caution to the wind as he leaps past Scott and tries to get Josephine on his own. 

        Josephine responds just as quickly as she waves her hand towards him next. Isaac is thrown back towards a nearby Scott and they're both thrown against the cement wall. 

        Her focus then turns to Derek who was the only one standing. She could see the uncertainty he had when it came to her. Derek hoped to find some resemblance of Josephine in her gaze but none remained at all. 

        "Are you going to try to stop me as well?" she threatened him. 

        Her voice sounded deeper as she spoke and the way she traveled across the loft to reach him was unnatural. The way her body moved with every step she made was graceful as if she was just floating mid-air;  _effortless._

        She stopped right in front of him and his silence was answer enough for her to not retaliate with an attack. She offered him a soft smile as her gaze took him in. 

        "Who the hell are you?" Derek asks.

       The question made her laugh and it caused goosebumps to rise on his skin. Her laugh was light, carefree, and it traveled across the room like soft petals floating in the air. 

        "We'll speak again soon," she answers as her gaze softly settled on him. "For now, I must go."

        She starts to walk away but Derek quickly follows after her. 

        "You can't leave..." Derek begins to say before she turns back to him. 

        "And what will you do to stop me?" 

        "It's not..." 

        She stops him from speaking and simply made her way towards him. Her hand reached for his face and to her surprise, he didn't shy away from her touch. 

        "It's best if you don't follow," she whispers to him before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. 

        Before Derek knew it, his head felt heavy and he found his body floating softly to the ground. The ceiling of his loft is all he sees and his eyelids become heavier with every second that passes. Josephine's face makes an appearance and she seems to be speaking with him but no words are transferred to him. 

        "Sleep... now..." he manages to pick up. "She'll... fine... I... care of..."

        His eyes can't remain open and so he succumbs to the darkness that beckons him. 

        "Call me... Kore." 

*

New York City— _A Year Ago_

_Derek stood across the street from the bookstore. He held an umbrella up to protect him from the rain that had managed to creep up on them this early New York morning. The bookstore had yet to be opened and he knew it wouldn't be long for Josephine to make her way there. He checked his watch and waited for the time to strike nine. Once it did, he expected to see Josephine running in but no such thing occurred._

_He waited for another five minutes and then another._

_Derek wondered if the rain was keeping her and where she could possibly be now that could take her away from her beloved bookstore._

_It wasn't until twenty minutes had passed that Derek caught the first sight of Josephine. Her hair was dripping wet and the pink rain boots on her feet were stepping on each puddle she could find._

_Her laugh echoed through the busy streets of New York and it seemed contagious as everyone around her couldn't help the smile on their face._

_Derek couldn't help but think of how childish she looked as she jumped from puddle to puddle. Only children were capable of doing this and she was human. She was bound to get sick from this and she probably knew it too._

_He shook his head and made his way across the street the moment she unlocked the door. Josephine looked up at him in surprise as she no longer felt the soft pellets of rain hit her anymore. The black umbrella that covered them both had brought her fun to an end._

_"Derek," she greets with a smile._

_"Josephine," he greets in return as she opens the door for him._

_He shuts his umbrella and makes his way in stomping out the water from his shoes onto the welcome mat. Josephine only chuckles as she makes her way to the counter and pulls out a towel from a drawer._

_"Not much for the rain?" she asks him._

_Derek just huffs in response causing Josephine to giggle once more._

_"Well I love it," she answers. "A good soft rain, a warm cup of coffee, and a good book are all you really ever need. You have to take pleasures in the small things life has to offer along the way. You'll never know when they'll slip away."_

_Derek watches her slip to the back of the store and wondered if she trusted every customer as she did him. No right-minded person would leave their store unsupervised to a stranger and yet she did such a thing many times since he had come to know her. It doesn't take long for Josephine to appear again. Her hair was in a towel and her hands carried two steaming cups of coffee._

_"Enjoy the little things, Derek."_

*

        Josephine groans as she felt her stiff muscles and bones shift with her movement. She shivered at the cold that dug deep into her bones and made her teeth grit against each other. Her head was pounding and she wondered how much she had drunk the night prior. 

        "Ma'am?" 

        The voice forces her awake and Josephine is blinded by the sun above her. She blinks for a couple of seconds before her sight adjusts. Josephine quickly sits up as she notices her surrounding being the same woods she had been running through days earlier. 

        "Ma'am, are you alright?" 

        The voice snaps her back to its source and she finds a police deputy making his way down the hill. She climbs out of the tree stump she had been laying upon and makes her way towards him. 

        "Hi, sorry," she answers as she meets him halfway. "I'm fine! I just... I actually don't know what happened." 

        Josephine looks at the officer and takes notice of how young he is. The concerned expression on his face reminded her of a puppy that needed to be coddled. If she wasn't in her right mind, Josephine would swear she would have hugged him. 

        "Are you ok?" he asks. "Do you need medical attention?" 

        Josephine takes a look at herself and notices that besides the dirt that she managed to track herself in, she was fine. 

        "I'm fine," she answers as she wrapped her arms around herself to stop from shivering. "I just... I think I might have... slept walk all my way out here. I'm surprised you even found me."

        "I was doing my morning check-in," he answers nonchalantly. "Are you sure you're ok?"  

        A sharp pain shot across her head the moment he asked the question and she groaned at it. She shoots a small smile to the officer and tries to hide her pain from him. 

        "I need to call my friend but I don't have his number memorized." 

        The police officer seemed concerned at this and Josephine wondered if he thought she was crazy or delusional. 

        "I'm sorry, I'm not from around here," she tries to explain to him. "I'm visiting an old friend and I'm staying with him too. Maybe you know him..." 

        "I don't really know anyone," he interrupts her with a small chuckle. "I'm new into town too." 

        "Oh ok," Josephine responds. "Well, maybe you can just give me a ride back into the city. I'll figure my way back from there." 

        The young deputy seems unconvinced by this but nods at her request. Seeing the way she trembled from the morning breeze, he quickly takes off his coat and places it on her. 

        "Alright then," he answers. "Let me give you that ride." 

        "Thank you," Josephine answers as she welcomes the warmth. He offers her his hand to take as they climbed up the steep hill and back to the main road. 

        "I'm Josephine, by the way." 

        The deputy offers her a smile as he helps her up. 

        "I'm Parrish," he answers. "Deputy Jordan Parrish."


	10. 10

        A chorus of groans stirs Derek awake as he snaps up from the ground and takes in his surroundings. Everyone was slowly getting up on their own trying to piece together last night's events. Chris and Stiles make their way in and Derek notices that they were also waking up from their own sleeping spell. 

        "What the hell happened here last night?" Chris asks.

        "That doesn't matter," Derek states as he noticed one person missing. "Where's Josephine?" 

        "It's obvious from last night, that whatever she is, she's probably alright," Isaac argues. "She threw us around like rag dolls and we slept through the whole night." 

        "Are witches possible?" Stiles asks in concern. "Are they real? Cause one moment, I'm chilling around with my friend Chris here minding my own business, the next moment, I'm asleep. We're both asleep." 

        "Stiles," Derek growls. "Witches aren't real. Whatever Josephine turned into last night wore off the moment the sun rose so wherever she is now,  _whoever_ she is, she's in danger." 

        Everyone looked at each other knowing he was right. Scott immediately made his way towards the chains and tried to latch on to her scent. 

        "It's enough," he states as he passed the handcuffs to Isaac and Derek. "If we track this, we should be able to find her." 

        Scott and Isaac start to make their way out while Derek paused and turned to everyone else. 

        "Just keep an eye out for her," he tells them. "She might be trying to make her way back." 

        The Argents nod at this while Stiles pulled out his phone ready to call his dad for help. Derek leaves the loft and starts to follow after Scott and Isaac as they made their way through the preserve. 

        Derek started to grow concerned the moment he realized the direction they were heading. 

        "Hey, isn't this the way to the..." Isaac starts to point out. 

        "Nemeton?" Scott finishes. "Yes, it is." 

        Scott looks over at Derek in concern but the elder wolf ignores him and continues to follow the trace. He lets out a sigh when they reach the large tree stump only to find her long gone. 

        "The trace ends here," Derek sighs out. 

        Derek walks towards the tree stump hoping to find something to give them some sort of direction. He intends to reach the Nemeton only to find himself unable to get close to it. 

        "What the hell?" he asks confused. 

        By that point, Scott and Isaac made their way to his side and found themselves coming to the same realization as Derek. They were unable to cross a set boundary. 

        "What's going on?" Isaac asks. 

        Derek starts to circle around the Nemeton only to find some sort of protective boundary around it that worked similar to mountain ash. He turns his focus onto the ground in search of it only to find none. Instead, a ring of growing mushroom that surrounded the Nemeton caught his attention. When he tried to pluck one out of the way, his hand couldn't get near it. 

        "You sure she isn't a witch?" Isaac asks as he noticed the same thing. 

        Derek lets out a sigh unsure of the answer anymore. 

*

New York City— _A Year Ago_

          _"Hey, it's ok sweetie, we'll find your mommy, ok?"_

_Josephine looked up from the young crying girl standing in the middle of the children's section and found Derek standing nearby. He looked concerned by what he overheard and Josephine was relieved to find him there._

_"Come with me girly," Josephine states as she stood up and offered her hand. "I've got some sweets at the front and maybe your mommy will find you there."_

_The girl nods as she wipes her eyes and takes her hand._

_"I'll go find her," Derek mouths at Josephine._

_She lets out a sigh of relief and nods at him before she led the girl to the counter and set her on top of it. Josephine pulls out a lollipop from a nearby bowl and hands it to her. The girl lets out a small smile as she unwraps it and Josephine looked around waiting for a woman to come for her._

_"What's your name?" Josephine asks her._

_The girl refused to respond and Josephine knew she would need a little coaxing._

_"I'm Josephine Taylor," she tells her. "My friends call me Josie or Jo."_

_"But Jo's a boy's name," the little girls responds with a giggle._

_"Sometimes," she answers with a smile. "So what about you? What's your name?"_

_"Sophie."_

_"Sophie," Josephine repeats. "That's a very pretty name."_

_"Thank you," she whispers as her eyes flickered down._

_"So what's your favorite book, Sophie?" Josephine asks her trying to distract her from the fear and sadness she was feeling at the moment._

_"I can't read," she answers._

_"Oh well that doesn't mean you can't have a favorite book," Josephine responds. "When I was little and before I could read, I liked it when my older sisters read me Dr. Seuss and fairy tales."_

_"Fairy tales?" she asks. "Like Disney?"_

_Josephine chuckles and nods._

_"Yeah they were stories before there were made into movies," Josephine explains to her before shaking her head slightly. "Which movie is your favorite?"_

_"I like Tangled," she answers. "Rapunzel is my favorite princess."_

_"Ooh, I love Rapunzel," Josephine states. "But I like Snow White better."_

_"Really, why?" Sophie asks with a scowl._

_"I like the classics," she answers with a shrug. "Prince Charming. Evil Witch. True love's kiss to save the day."_

_Sophie giggles at this and Josephine is relieved to see the young girl smile. It doesn't take long for the bell of the bookstore to ring and a frantic mother to let out a shout of relief._

_"Sophie!"_

_"Mommy!"_

_They both embrace one another and the girl starts to cry once more. The bell of the bookstore rings once more and Josephine looks up to find Derek coming in. He offers her a nod and Josephine silently thanks him._

_"I'm sorry, mommy," Sophie exclaims. "I saw the shiny books through the window and came inside."_

_The mother started to respond to this but was far more relieved to have found Sophie safe and sound. Derek made his way towards Josephine and tried to hide his amusement._

_"Older sisters?" he asked her. "Snow White, really?"_

_"How did you..." Josephine begins to ask before shaking her head. She doesn't know how he heard that part of the conversation or how he even found Sophie's mom, but the Hale siblings always surprised in one way or the other. She lets out a sigh and decides to just answer his question. "Foster siblings. I had a couple when I was younger. Once I became a teenager, that all changed."_

_Derek nods in understanding and Josephine shrugged and smiled._

_"As for Snow White," Josephine states. "Who can resist a poison apple?"_

*

        Josephine slipped the deputy's coat off and set it on the nearby bench. She looked around the BH Police Department with curiosity before Jordan made an appearance once more with a clipboard and a pen. He motioned for her to sit down and set the paperwork aside. 

        "Do you want a cup of coffee, water, maybe a donut or something?" he asks her. 

        "Coffee would be nice," she answers. 

        "Gotta warn ya," he responds. "It isn't that great." 

        Josephine chuckles at this and shrugs. 

        "It won't kill me, will it?" she asks. 

        Jordan smiles at her and shakes his head. 

        "No, it won't," Jordan tells her before heading off into the kitchen, "But it might try to."         

        Josephine lets out a laugh as she watched him walk away. Once he was gone, she let out a sigh and leaned her head back onto her seat. She was trying to piece together the events from last night but it continued to remain blank. As if someone deleted that particular file in her brain. She really needed to get back to Derek and figure out what happened and if he was ok. Josephine feared the worst when she found herself alone in the middle of the woods. 

        Her hands check the skin of her wrists to find them fine and unbruised. She swore she was chained down and that the ash circle around her would keep her inside. Josephine didn't know how to feel or think when she woke up out of those restraints and on her own. 

        "Josephine?"

        She looks up and finds the deputy in front of her with a cup of coffee. She takes it from him and thanks him quietly as her gaze settled onto the elder man who now stood beside him. 

        "This is Sheriff Stilinski," Jordan introduces. "He's interested in your case." 

        Josephine clears her throat as her focus shifted to the Sheriff. 

        "My case?" she asks confused. "I didn't realize I had a case."

        Sheriff Stilinski turns to Deputy Parrish and offers him a nod.

        "I'll take this from here," he states.

        "But sir," Parrish argues.

        "I've got it handled," Stilinski responds. "I know her." 

        "You do?" Josephine can't help but ask. 

        "Office," Stilinski orders from Josephine and she doesn't hesitate to follow his direction. 

        She glances over her shoulder and offers Deputy Parrish a smile before turning her focus onto the Sheriff. She didn't know whether to trust him. Josephine was certain she had never met this man in her life.        

        Josephine watched him round his desk and set a file down. He motioned for her to take a seat and so she did, waiting for him to explain what was going on. Noticing her concerned expression, Sheriff Stilinski offered her a smile. 

        "My son Stiles called me earlier to let me know you've gone missing," he explains to her. "I'll go drop you off soon." 

        Josephine let out a sigh of relief, "Oh good! You scared me for a second there."

        "Sorry about that," Stilinski answers. "Parrish wanted some answers and I knew you probably didn't have any to offer." 

        Josephine nods at this, "Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out what happened to me last night. I just... I just don't remember any of it. It's really concerning."

        Sheriff Stilinski sighs as he hears this knowing that this could only mean trouble ahead for all of them. 

        "Well, I brought you in here so we can discuss another matter if that's ok with you?"  

        Josephine nods her head and Stilinski slides the folder across the desk towards her. She opens the file to find a picture of her with the words  _MISSING_ written across.

        "You've got a missing report in New York," Stilinski explains to her. "I know that your circumstance was indeed strange but I wanted to let you know that someone noticed you were gone." 

        Josephine chuckles at this, "Must have been my regulars or my landlord." 

        "I know you were unwillingly taken and brought here but since you're technically not abducted anymore we can absolve this matter quickly," Stilinski offers her. "We've dealt with this before." 

        "Let me guess," Josephine mutters. "With Derek?" 

        Sheriff Stilinski nods at her question and she can't help but laugh. 

        "Yeah... I reported his case," Josephine explains. "When he left without telling me..." 

        Stilinski didn't know how to respond to this and Josephine just cleared her throat ready to change the subject. 

        "Well that's water under the bridge," Josephine states more to herself than him. "So about my missing case report, what do I have to do?"

        Sheriff Stilinski immediately pulls out the paperwork and sets in front of her. Josephine quickly put herself to work and for the first time since she's been in Beacon Hills, filling out paperwork to absolve her missing person's report, she found some sense of normalcy.


End file.
